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personal security. Sure, you
get to run around getting shot at in your job, but I get to meet
people; get to know how things work,” Jack said.
    “ Lucky you,” said Nova. She nodded to the barman for a refill
and took the time to study each of the people Jack had pointed out.
If she was going to be any help to Aart and stop him from getting
himself killed, she should probably know what they were up
against.
    “ How’s that girl you’re always hanging out with?”
    “ Tanguin?” Nova asked.
    “ Yeah the Ex-Connected one.”
    “ I believe they prefer the term Un-Connected,” Nova said. “And
she’s good. She usually stays in The Jagged Maw, helps the rest of
us out with computer stuff from there.”
    “ Sweet gig,” said Jack.
    “ I think I’d go mad if I stayed there all the time,” said
Nova.
    “ Ha! That’s because you don’t know how to settle down. Got too
much going on in that head of yours,” Jack said, tapping his index
finger against Nova’s temple.
    “ That’s the truth.”
    “ I saw you win the annual space-race. That was some fine
flying,” Jack said, shaking his head. “The way you knocked Kero
out; incredible.”
    “ He made it easy, with his head so far up his arse he couldn’t
see where he was going.”
    “ Ha! Sounds like good old Kero,” Jack said. “But I say we let
go of work for a few minutes. I bet I can still kick your arse in a
game of pool.”
    “ They have a pool table here?” Nova asked. The ancient game
seemed out of place on the newly terraformed planet, unlike Tabryn
where the game fit in with the seedy underbelly just
perfectly.
    “ Yep, it’s round the back.”
    “ Alright, ten credits says you lose,” Nova said.
    “ You’re on,” Jack replied. He turned to the closest occupied
table. “Hey Gin and Lenny, if you want to watch Nova get smashed in
a game of pool, please step this way.”
    The Hunters
grinned at Jack and dropped down from their stools to follow the
pair into the backroom where a pool table stood. It was perfect;
bereft of all the scratches, scrapes, and rings of moisture which
characterised most pool tables.
    Nova grinned
and pulled a cue down from the wall. This one was in the bag.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER FOUR
    “ Zorka, isn’t it?” Nova said as she stepped up to the woman.
She’d given Jack a good thrashing and was ready to jump back into
work.
    The gorgeous
woman in front of her sported all the latest mods, including
glowing gold hair and an extended neck. Her dress looked expensive;
bright red with lines of gold running through it, cut just right to
show off all of her shapely assets.
    “ Yes, and who are you?” Zorka asked.
    She looked
down her nose at Nova and the small badge pronouncing Security.
    “ My name is Nova. I just wanted to talk to you about the
Pleasure District,” Nova said. Her heart raced. If someone from the
Confederacy-controlled Inner Galaxies got wind of Aart’s
intensions, then they would all be dropped into a black hole. She
had to tread carefully.
    “ Oh. I suppose about fifty credits. Although it would be a
very specific set of clientele, and you’d definitely need a few
mods,” Zorka said, running her eyes over Nova.
    “ What?” Nova said. Her eyes opened wide as realisation struck
and her cheeks glowed red. “No, that’s not what I meant. I don’t
need a job.”
    Zorka stared
down her nose at Nova. “Hmm. We’ll see.”
    “ Anyway,” Nova said, clearing her throat. “I was just
wondering if there were any plans to expand the Inner Galaxies to
include the Pleasure District? I’m from Tabryn and there was a lot
of military activity last time I was there.”
    Zorka’s eyes
narrowed as she looked back at Nova. At first she said nothing; her
glowing eyes were disconcerting as they stared deep into Nova’s
face.
    “ As far as I know there are no such plans. And I assure you,
if there were you would be one of the last people I would tell
about it,” Zorka said. She turned